The First Question in the Universe
by JasmineThomas
Summary: The Doctor, a not so typical school boy from Leadworth Village, outside London is about to ask the most important question in his life to the girl of his dreams. Little does he know that she is planning to ask exactly the same question...
1. Morning Rituals

**Thank you to runyoucleverboy-remember for giving me the courage to upload this, so thank you :)**

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He almost did it! He almost kissed her… Clara - his Impossible, Souffle Girl- Oswald… he almost kissed her.

She was stood, leaning on the TARDIS console talking to her. He wasn't really listening. She walked over and pulled his arm down from where he was stood so that he was level with her eyes. His eyes were looking at his lips, leaning in, almost there…

"DOCTOR!" The Doctor woke up. He was in a regular bed. He saw a girl. The girl of his dreams. Clara, stood at the door, her school uniform on, glaring down at him, with her tie in her hand. "It's time for school… Craig said to go get a bucket of water to wake you up! Be happy that I didn't! I almost did." Clara said, raising her voice slightly, pulling her collar up to fasten her tie around it. "So, get dressed." She turned on her heel and he could hear the gentle patter of her feet on the stairs as she ran downstairs.  
The Doctor was a boy, from Leadworth, of 17. He was finishing off boarding school and lived with his friends, Craig and Rory, both of which had grilfriends, Sophie and Amy. He was called John Smith originally, but then found that he liked the name Christopher Rhodes, before being landed with the nickname "The Doctor." He never really knew how he got that title, after being called "Scary Robot Man" by Craig, "Raggedy Man" by Amy and "Chin Boy" or "Chin" by Clara. It was just a name that had stuck with him, like his brother had been called Ten, after the fact that he has been the 10th John Smith in the family.  
The Doctor sat up and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands in exhaustion from the night before. He and Clara had gone to a party and got drunk. Well, he got drunk and she had to carry him home after about 2 tequila sunrises. His head was banging as he got dressed and pulled his hideous jumper on. It was a dark red. He hated red. He loved blue. But whatever he wore that was red, Clara seemed to like, so he wasn't really bothered. He lifted his collar up, as he had seen Clara do just minutes before, and placed his tie underneath it, secretly wishing it was a bow tie, because bow ties are cool. He swiped his quiff off his face with wax and made his way downstairs.

Craig and Sophie were sat with Amy and Rory in the kitchen. Clara was sat on the kitchen top, sipping a mug of tea. She looked over at the doorway expectantly. She had told the Doctor to get up and ready for school, so he was probably doing that. She checked her watch. Half past seven. An hour to get his breakfast, brush his teeth and get over to school. She smiled as she saw Amy burst out laughing and laughed herself when Amy fell off her chair onto Rory's lap, although she wasn't convinced that Amy didn't do it on purpose. Just as Amy got back up, the Doctor came bounding into the room with his quiff waxed back into the rest of his hair, leaving a lump on the top of his head. He walked over to near where Clara had deliberately sat, so that he could stand next to her to open one of the cupboards next to her head. He smiled weakly and nervously at her and got out a bowl. Clara shook her head. He touched his head self-consciously at her.  
"What? What is it? Do I have something on my head?" He placed his hands on his head as if searching. Clara saw out of the corner of her eye that the two couples sat at the table were staring at them intently. Clara put her fingers to the right of his head, where the quiff was waxed backwards and ran her fingers through it, bringing the quiff back onto his eyebrows, near his eyes. He closed his eyes, wincing slightly as he opened them, making Clara giggle slightly.  
"It's about what don't have on your _face_." She told him. "It's about your quiff. It's waxed back. We do this every morning. Keep it _on_ your face. Not off it." She said as he routinely grabbed her waist, helping her jump off the marble table top. He kissed the top of her head and poured his cereal as she watched him eat it where he stood, wondering whether he was going to ask her the question that she'd been dying for him to ask her.

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	2. Something Different to Routine

**Thank you runyoucleverboy-remember for helping me out, enjoy this chapter :)**

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The Doctor shovelled his breakfast into his mouth, thinking about the dream he had. He smiled at the thought that Clara might even possibly like him. The TARDIS was a made up invention of his and Clara's. He remembered that he created the name (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) because they both liked space travel. He also remembered that Clara called it the snogbox, because he had mentioned taking companions in there to keep him company. She joked with him about it every time he brought it up. He imagined taking her into that box and kissing her to make it a snogbox. _No! Can't think about that! She is not my girlfriend! She's the Impossible Soufflé Girl! No!_ He thought to himself.

Clara drained her mug of tea and set it on the top, ready to be washed later. She checked her watch. Quarter past eight. The Doctor usually had 3 bowls of cereal to actually stay awake during school hours. She thought about the TARDIS invention of theirs and how much she'd like to build it just to snog the Doctor inside. _No! No! I mustn't think about that!_ She thought. _He's the Doctor, not my boyfriend. We're just friends, that's all we are. He probably doesn't even think that of me!_ She thought about him every waking moment, thinking of his head on her lecturer's body and thinking how wrong that was, then imagining the Doctor standing there instead of her lecturer. She liked those lessons better. Otherwise, she'd be drawing him until a lecturer saw that she wasn't paying attention and asked her what she thought about the "Micro-philosophical Theorem of the Genetic Magnitude of something or other… she wasn't any big brained geek. She only picked those lessons because her dad picked the wrong lessons by accident.

The Doctor finished and cleared his bowl away, whisking Clara's mug along with it. Amy, Rory, Craig and Sophie had already left, leaving the Doctor and Clara to be late. Clara sighed and walked up to one of the chairs, pulling her red cardigan off it. The Doctor ran up and span around like a giddy five- year old. Clara giggled before being pulled through the house and out of it by the Doctor, who shouted loudly:  
"Come on, soufflé girl, we've got a bus to catch!"

Clara stood outside. Leadworth was a small village but it was a quiet and peaceful one too. It was cold though, and she was glad that she managed to swipe her good red jacket from the porch on the way out. She hugged herself in it, freezing from the weather. The Doctor stood alongside her in his big tweed coat that no matter how many times she said looked ridiculous with his uniform, he still wore. It was a subtle purple colour and looked awful against the bashful red colour of the uniform's jumper.

"No take it off!" She cried at him, mockingly. He looked disappointed and hurt as she laughed at him. "I was only joking. You know that whatever I say, you'll not take it off anyway!" She said between breaths to calm down. He patted her back forcefully as she bent over, holding her knees for support, to get her back for her laughing. She stood up properly and punched him softly on his arm.  
"Hey!" She doubled over, laughing again as he started the pouty face just as the bus drew in. She walked over and showed their bus passes and sat down while the Doctor followed.  
The bus ride wasn't particularly long, but wasn't quick either. The Doctor kept spouting the rubbish he usually did. Clara kept pretending to listen while she checked her Tumblr. She knew almost all of the things he talked about anyway… How good his lessons were on that particular day, how much he wanted to thump his cousin, Harry Saxon, the next time he saw him and sarcastically telling her how much he was looking forward to the cook's vegetable stir fry, upset that it wasn't fish custard. But he spouted another thing into the routine today.  
"Clara?" Clara looked up at him, wondering what the next question would be. "I…

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	3. Feeling Sick

**Thank you if you reviewed- so far only got one runyoucleverboy-remember (I know I keep mentioning you :) )**

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"I ... I wondered if you've got that science and uropium textbook. I need it for my Malfunctioning robot tests lectures." The Doctor blurted out. Clara looked down, disappointed. She fumbled in her red satchel until she found her textbook. She handed it to him, looking to the window as he took a packet of jelly babies out of his pocket. "Want one?" He offered.  
Clara wanted to punish him for asking the wrong question. She wanted to leave him hanging to realise that he did love her and that he should ask her immediately. She shook off his offer with a wave of her hand and when the bus came to a halt, she slid past the Doctor, running off to her form group quicker than he could follow her.  
She ran into the toilets, heaving up her guts. She closed the cubicle door, crying on the inside and sitting down with her head against the wall. She pounded the wall with her fist. She felt even more sick and thought it was silly getting all upset like this when the Doctor had just asked her for a textbook. She knew she was being silly but the Doctor made her feel like he was finally going to ask her the first question in the universe, the one she'd wanted to hear since they were little.  
She cried until she heard a voice. A scottish accent sounded.  
"Clara? Are you in there? It's Amy." Clara closed her eyes, letting silent tears trickle onto her coat. She didn't want to talk to Amy, or Sophie, or Rose, or Martha, or Donna. She didn't want to talk about any of this stuff with her friends. She didn't. She point blank refused an wished she hadn't let something slip to Donna the Gossip the first time around when she got asked if her and the Doctor were dating.  
"Go away." She heard Amy's buckled cowboy boots move closer. She dreaded the next few words as she could tell that Amy was not going to give up without a fair fight towards this.  
"We're in the same form. I'm not going anywhere until you go there with me." Clara could almost hear Amy folding her arms with her stubborn ways. She took her hair and wrenched it in frustration as she cried silently. She stopped for a few seconds as she tried to say normally:  
"Look, I don't feel well. I've just thrown up. It'd be better to just leave me and go to form." Clara desperately tried to make her go. She heard her own voice wobble in shame and in desperation and in total upset.  
"Well, I'd better take you to the nurse, then." Clara slammed her head against the wall in desperation. She really would not leave, would she? She felt sick again... she heaved against the toilet and leaned back after, hating herself for getting so worked up over the Doctor not asking her the silly question already. She needed to pluck up the courage.  
Clara unlocked her cubicle door after flushing the toilet and saw Amy's smypathetic face. Amy gave her a hug and Clara felt the need to cry, but was too stubborn to in front of friends.  
"I know what this is about." Amy said, comfortingly after their embrace ended.  
"What?" Clara asked, knowing full well what she was talking about.  
"You were upset that the Doctor hasn't asked you out yet. I'm your best friend. Don't bottle it up... now, I think you need to see the nurse about going home and talk to him tomorrow, come on." Amy took her hand, gave it a squeeze and then walked with her to the nurse's office for Clara to be sent home.

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	4. The Answer to the Question

The Doctor was confused. Clara had run off in such a hurry that he hadn't been able to plan meeting with her after school. He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend. He thought he'd be able to catch her if he met up with her after home economics class. But Clara wasn't in English. She wasn't in Art. She wasn't in Home Economics and she definitely wasn't in History. She wasn't anywhere around school. He was completely worried about her and whatever was going on; he needed to get down to the bottom of it.

At break, he grabbed Amy from her group of friends. He pulled her round to the wall.  
"Cl-" He couldn't finish. He sank down and sat, head banging repeatedly on the wall as he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Amy was still stood and crouched as her put his head in his hands. She placed her hand on his left arm, comfortingly. He looked up at her light brown eyes as she saw something in his, which made her look at him knowingly.  
"I know what you're thinking. And Clara's fine. She wasn't well so she went home. I helped her to the nurse's before form." The Doctor looked speechless and worried. She stood up, offering him her hand, which he accepted, hoisting himself up.  
"So, what's wrong with her?" The Doctor asked timidly.  
"She was just sick. I wouldn't worry. She hasn't got some life threatening disease or anything." The Doctor brightened at these words, chuckling at his friend. She laughed and soomthed his collar down, hugging him comfortingly. Rory walked up. Amy took the Doctor's hand, giving it a quick squeeze before walking away with Rory. _Probably going to the bike sheds to have a good snog_, he thought, jealously wishing he could do the same with Clara. He had to ask her that question. And soon!

He closed the door to the dormitory house, quietly, just in case Clara was asleep. The doors downstairs were closed, so he crept silently up the sairs, to make sure that she was ok. Skiving off school was totally worth it. He opened the door to her room and didn't see her. Her made was made, but had the dent in the memory foam from where her body had been and the ruffled sheets showed that she had laid on top of the covers at some point. He suddenly heard a muffled coughing coming from downstairs. Turning on his heel, he ran down the flight of stairs as fast as his legs could carry him.  
"Clara?" He called. He opened the door to the lounge and saw her. She was sat watching an episode of _Castle_, with a box of tissues beside her and the TV remotr and a mug of tea in her hands. She paused the tv to look at him.  
"Why aren't you at school?" She wondered aloud. The Doctor sat next to her, handing her a bar of Dairy Milk Oreo that he had bought for her on the way home.  
"I had better things to do than P.E! Like... looking after you." Clara blushed crimson as she broke the chocolate bar in half, giving one half to the Doctor.  
"Doctor-" He held his hand up.  
"No, before you say anything, Clara.." They both had the same thing to say and both blurted out:  
"Will you go out with me?" They both looked shocked, as if they had not expected a yes from each other, let alone the same question. Clara wrapped her arms around the Doctor's neck in a hug, which the Doctor returned.  
"So, why were you ill, when you were fine this morning?" The Doctor finally asked when they broke apart. Clara stared at her hands in her lap.  
"This morning, you took so long to ask me for that textbook that I thought you might ask me out. But you didn't. And I got quite upset and made myself ill." She explained, embarrassed at her own silliness. The doctor didn't look at her like she was stupid; he looked as if he'd never heard anything more sweet and flattering in his life. He wrapped her in a warm embrace. She didn't understand and neither did he. But they loved each other and actually admitted it for the other to acknowledge.  
"So, does this mean that you're my girlfriend, then?" The Doctor asked shyly. clara looked up at him and thought about how cute he was before answering:  
"Yeah, and you're my boyfriend." She replied, smiling. It was hard to describe. But she made him feel like a new man that had just bloomed from the depths of the world, his world. And his world was Clara.


	5. Senior Prom

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while- working on two Doctor Who scripts for my youtube (hopefully) series. Hope you enjoy and I will upload the next chapter within the week.**

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It had been a few weeks since Clara started dating the Doctor. So far, and she had this in her diary, he had taken her to the cinema, to Dream-Lord's (A restaurant in town) the gig for her favourite band and bought her a whole car boot full of merchandise. She wanted him to ask her to the senior prom, but she knew how shy he could be.

One day at school, he was talking to Craig, Rory, Jack Harkness (The School Jock), Mickey Smith and his brother Ten. Clara walked up behind him with Amy, Sophie, Rose, Martha and Donna, tapped him on the shoulder and kissed him. "Will you go to the Senior Prom with me? Doctor?" She asked, smiling. Everyone had stopped to look at them, as if a magical spotlight was shining down on them.

"Y-Yes." The Doctor confirmed as he picked her up and spun her around three times, before kissing her.

It was a few days until Senior Prom and Clara had gone home to see her father, to bring him over for her graduation the day of the night of senior prom. Clara was freaking out in excitement as she donned her red graduation robe and her mortar board.

Graduation made her father cry and she promised to make him a soufflé to cheer him up next time she came to visit him. The Doctor was impressed and she and he went for dinner before Senior Prom. Clara had an omelette and the Doctor had fish fingers and custard. (Surprise, surprise.)

Senior Prom's start was great. The Doctor had pulled out all the stops. He had ordered a Limo, bought her chocolates, flowers and a corsage. It was bright red, just like her prom dress which hung from her shoulders and reached down to her feet, obscuring her _Red or Dead_ glittery heels. She had her hair in a beautiful bun that ended in her hair being curled against her head.

The Doctor was wearing a black tuxedo with a red bow tie, to match Clara's dress colour and he wore polished boots and a top hat.

It went really well, with the Doctor and Clara dancing all night before going to the school house.

They had applied for the same college. Leadworth College. Clara had chosen the Biomechanics and computer hacking. The Doctor had chosen Robot Mechanics and Device wiring.

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	6. Coping with the Pain

**Maybe a little earlier than planned but that's to make up for lost time on what could have been about 2 months worth of chapters every week. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and thank you to AzturpeleanBlogger for encouraging me to post these chapters :)**

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It had been three months since college started and Clara wasn't turning up to school. The Doctor was starting to get worried after 4 weeks of her not turning up. He'd just past his driver's test so he decided to drive up to her father's house, where she was temporarily living.

He drove up and knocked on the door. Dave answered. "Hello, Doctor." He said glumly. "Is Clara there?" The Doctor asked. Dave nodded, letting him past, gesturing up the stairs. He walked up to Clara's bedroom and knocked on the door lightly.

"Clara?" The Doctor asked quietly. Dave followed him up. "She might not be awake. She's got something to tell you, though." Dave said quietly, as if he is pained by a fact that the Doctor does not yet know. The Doctor opened Clara's door slightly and saw her, pale and frail, with a few hairs on her pillow. She was asleep, but she was breathing shakily. Dave crossed to her bedside and stroked her cheek, she woke up slowly.

"Daddy?" She asked. The Doctor couldn't help but feel a shatter in his heart at hearing his best friend for ever, sounding so vulnerable as she slowly hugged Dave sobbing slightly. "Someone's here to see you, love." He said as Clara looked up and saw the Doctor. She smiled weakly and the Doctor smiled back. "I'll leave you both alone." He kissed Clara's forehead and patted the Doctor's shoulder as he walked out.

The Doctor crossed to sit on her bed, grasping her hand softly as she sat up slightly. "So, did you want to tell me something?" He asked, looking into her brown eyes that were showing weakness and vulnerability. She breathed in shakily for a few moments. "I've got… leukaemia." She finally said. The Doctor couldn't breathe. His heart broke. "How many weeks have you been diagnosed for?" He asked. She breathed again. "10 weeks. 2 weeks after I stopped going to college." She said. There were tears in her eyes.

"Is there anything they can do?" The Doctor asked her, as she looked into his eyes. "I need a donor transplant to survive." She said. The Doctor hugged her lightly and laid with her in bed and she drifted off to sleep in his arms. Dave came up with a plate of Jammie Dodgers, a cup of tea and a glass of water. He left them alone and granted the Doctor permission to stay with them for a few weeks to help Clara with her chemotherapy.

Clara was gradually getting stronger, but losing more of her hair. Her hair was now in a long bob and she was losing more every day. One day, she decided to sit and cry because she felt like getting rid of her feelings. She was upset about everything- how the Doctor would love her if she didn't have hair, how people at school would react to her… would they pity her? Would they laugh? Would they mock? Would they avoid her? Then the Doctor found her.

He crossed to the side of the bed where Clara was staring and sat next to her, hugging her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Do you still love me?" She asked, tears still gushing from her huge brown eyes. He hugged her tighter, kissing her head, and resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Course I do! What would make you think I didn't?" He asked. She sniffled and said.

"Because I'm losing my hair and I'm weak and I can't run with you or have fun with you like I used to." She said, sniffling.

The Doctor kissed her on the lips. "I don't care about what you can and can't do. I've loved you since you were 6. You know that! And I will never stop loving you!" He said, hugging her and cuddling her on the bed until they drifted off into a contented sleep.


	7. A Way Out

**This chapter is the result of about a month's worth of sadness due to one bad comment... so- this is my result... I am writing 2-3 more chapters and signing off from this story... I will start another but... I just feel like my plot will be hated and stuff... so here goes... chapter 7**

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Clara's chemotherapy was going well.. so far she had managed to gain a lot of strength. The Doctor held her hand and helped her through it. They were sat, cuddling. Clara slumped against the Doctor's waist and the Doctor's arms around her shoulder. They were just enjoying the peaceful tranquillity of the house. They had learnt to cherish the moments like this dearly.

Dave ran in. "Clara, hun!" He said. "They've got a match! For kidney donors!" He cried happily. Clara and the Doctor brightened up considerably. "Really?" Clara asked, smiling at Dave happily. "Yes! Your op's soon.." He said. "But we've got it! We've bloody got it! Christ Clara! This is gonna save your life!" She shouted, making Clara giggle.

"What the fuck do you mean you can't do the bloody operation! What the hell! He's- I'll kill him and make him wish he'd give!-" Dave slammed the phone down, kicking the table over and sobbing loudly into his hands. All this time he'd been trying to right a wrong, to do for Clara what he hadn't for Ellie... now it was all falling apart. He was going to lose his daughter and the Doctor... what would the Doctor say? Would he despise him? Would he blame Dave for not being able to save his daughter?

The Doctor heard the news. As soon as he heard from Dave, he drove to the hospital. It wasn't what he was expecting but he would willingly give Clara one of his own kidneys to save her life. She had saved his life on countless occasions when he felt there was nothing left for him. He was lead to a room where they took tests and said they'd get back to him. He was grateful for the fact that he was old enough to be a donor. He could just picture his Clara, being safe in his arms for another fifty years or more. He'd be so blessed to have her around.

The Doctor got the results back. He shouted up and down the house, looking for his Clara, to see her watching TV on the bed. "Yes! Clara! I can give you one of my kidneys!" He yelled happily. She looked confused. "Doctor... you know you have to do... tests and stuff, don't you?" She asked. He span around, bowing to her and showing her the papers he held in his hand. "I have been tested... I can save your life!" He lifted her up happily and spun her around slowly, letting her giggle into his neck. "I can save you..." He kissed her and stood with her in his arms.


	8. Remembering The Times

**I know I said 2 or 3 but I'm wanting to spend my time doing another Doctor Who story I have. So- epilogue! :D thanks Shiri- runyoucleverboy-remember for encouraging me to make this.**

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Years later, the Doctor walked around his favourite bookshop with his little girl, Rosie. She had her mother's eyes and nose and well, everything except height. She was 4. How time had grown. He looked over his shoulder at his wife, beaming to see her running back with Joe in her arms, their little baby boy. The Doctor picked up his gorgeous daughter and they all beamed.

"I was reading him one of the kid's books and he just... fell asleep." She said, smiling down at their newborn. Rosie looked down at him too. Clara looked up at Rosie, smiling and stroking her cheek. "You used to be this small, Rose." She said, touching under her daughter's chin, and saying the nickname for their daughter that reminded the Doctor of his deceased sister.

"Did I have to wear blue jammies too?" Rose asked, sweetly. "Not blue, sweetheart... pink..." Clara said, looking at the Doctor who was mouthing "no!" She realised what he meant when Rosie pouted and said "But I like red, mummy!" Clara laughed. "Darling... you used to wear rainbows of colours." She said, laughing.

They paid for their books and walked out, Clara and the Doctor linking arms and each carrying a child. "We need to see dad today, Doctor." Clara reminded him. The Doctor nodded in response. "Course, love." He said, smiling.

They got home that evening from a tiresome day of Dave Oswald playing pirates with Rosie until she was spark out. They put Joe in his cot and tucked Rosie in, who was still asleep, despite the wrestle she'd had in her sleep with her father. The Doctor looked at Clara. "We have a great family, don't we?" He asked, smiling.

"All thanks to you and that life saving kidney, Doctor." Clara replied, climbing into bed with the Doctor and cuddling him as if either of them could fade away at any moment. They didn't want that to happen again. And they both wanted to be together... even if in death did they part.


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